The present invention generally relates to bird feeders and methods for feeding birds. More particularly, the present invention is directed to decorative bird feeders for providing nectar solutions for consumption by birds. Specifically, the present invention is directed to decorative bird feeders useful for feeding hummingbirds.
Bird-watching is a highly prevalent past-time in both urban and rural areas. The world is full of birds of numerous varieties in an astounding array of colors and designs. Many people enjoy viewing birds of various types, and an industry has evolved around products directed to improving the ability of persons to get close to birds. On one hand, many people venture into the outdoors, where binoculars and spotting scopes may be utilized to better view various birds in their natural habitats. Such an approach requires a certain degree of skill, however, in finding and spotting various species of birds. Another approach utilizes various means of attracting birds to one""s residence or a desired viewing location, such as adjacent a home porch or window, where birds may be viewed at one""s leisure.
In particular, the practice of using bird feeders, bird baths, and the like has arisen to attract birds of various types to one""s home. Different types of feeders have been developed that each dispense foodstuffs that are preferred by a selected variety of bird which a person might desire to view. For example, seeds, grains, suets, and nectars are common foodstuffs that can be dispensed by selected types of feeders.
Hummingbirds are one particularly interesting type of bird that persons commonly desire to view. The hummingbird family is found in the Americas, and includes more than 300 species of birds. Hummingbirds are known for their rapid flight and their ability to hover in the air, such as at a food source, and fly backwards (the only birds capable of doing so). In particular, they feed on nectar and tiny insects found within flowers, generally hovering in front of a flower as they reach for food with long, extensible tongues. Their rapid wing beat produces a hum, and they are generally brightly colored and iridescent, thus particularly enjoyable to view. Many male hummingbirds have metallic green coloring with brightly colored throats, which are often a glittering red, blue, or emerald. They are often seen hovering or darting, and have been known to reach speeds up to 60 miles per hour in the air, beating their wings at 50 to 75 beats per second.
Various types of feeders have been developed to attract hummingbirds to a particular location for viewing. Many people hang such feeders from porches or backyard trees, so as to be able to watch various brightly colored birds arrive and depart, hovering or sometimes perching at the feeder in the interim to feed. Due to the enormous energy requirements of their particular flight patterns, hummingbirds require virtually constant feeding of high-sugar content foodstuffs.
Accordingly, it is generally common to provide a nectar-like solution for hummingbirds from a brightly colored feeder designed to simulate the colors of flowers to which hummingbirds are generally attracted, such as red in particular. Such feeders generally include a reservoir and a base that is securable to the reservoir and which includes openings from which a hummingbird can access the nectar. The reservoir is generally filled with a nectar solution, the base is secured thereto, and the entire feeder is inverted and hung from a support. A flexible strap secured to the reservoir is generally used for hanging the feeder.
It is desirable to regularly exchange a fresh nectar solution for an aged solution, and to clean the feeder so as to remove any dirt or microorganism growth thereon. When a feeder is located in a position that receives substantial sunlight, it may especially be desirable to exchange the nectar solution and clean the feeder every few days. However, because of the inverted design of hummingbird feeders, movement theretoxe2x80x94such as in the process of retrieving the feeder from the supportxe2x80x94can often cause a substantial amount of the nectar solution to spill out of the feeder. Additionally, wind may cause a feeder to sway on the flexible strap often used for support, which also can cause a substantial amount of nectar solution, to spill from the feeder. In addition to causing unnecessary waste of nectar solution, this situation often creates a sugary residue on the ground or other surface below the feeder, which can attract insects and cause other undesirable unsightliness. Additionally, the often stark appearance of many hummingbird feeders might be undesirable to many persons, such that those persons might not desire to hang such conventional feeders at their residence or other locations.
Accordingly, it can be seen that there remains a need to provide a new and improved hummingbird feeder that provides greater stability and support to the feeder, and which permits the addition of design elements directed to making the feeder more aesthetically appealing to persons desirable of a more attractive feeder appearance. The present invention is directed to meeting these needs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful bird feeder having greater stability and support.
It is another object to provide a bird feeder capable of supporting design elements directed to making the feeder more aesthetically appealing.
A still further object is to provide a bird feeder that minimizes spillage of the contents therein.
It is yet another object to provide a method for feeding birds utilizing an aesthetically appealing apparatus therefor.
According to the present invention, then, a decorative bird feeder is provided which is adapted to be suspended from a support and is operative to store and to dispense a foodstuff to a bird. The decorative bird feeder comprises a base having a passageway with an outer opening, a container, a framework and a hanger assembly. The container has a central longitudinal axis, an interior adapted to receive the foodstuff for a bird and a mouth adapted to be secured to the base such that the passageway in the base establishes communication between the interior of the container with the outer opening accessible to an external environment. The container includes a surrounding side wall with a first side wall portion preferably being divergent in a direction away from the mouth such that it has a smaller dimensional area in a first plane perpendicular to the central axis and a larger dimensional area in a second plane perpendicular to the central axis, where the first plane is located between the mouth and the second plane.
The framework is sized and adapted to nestably receive the first side wall portion of the container and is structured to contact the first side wall portion at a plurality of points sufficient to stabilize the container against wobbling when the container is disposed in the framework and inverted such that the base is located below the container in a manner whereby gravity will convey the foodstuff from the interior of the container into the passageway. The hanger assembly includes a mount adapted to be secured to the support and, preferably, a plurality of suspension members interconnecting the framework and the mount whereby the bird feeder may be suspended from the support.
The framework may include a first support member, such as an annular ring, disposed in the first plane, where the first support member includes an opening sized and adapted to receive a portion of the container that is adjacent to the mouth, and contacts the first side wall portion at a plurality of points. The framework may further include a plurality of rigid bars extending from the first support member, and adjacent ones of the rigid bars may be interconnected by curvilinear bars to provide a rigid filigree framework. A portion of a selected rigid bar may be adapted to connect the framework to a selected suspension member.
The decorative bird feeder may further include a perch structure having a perch disposed proximately to the outer opening of the passageway. The base may have a plurality of passageways each with an outer opening, and the perch structure may include a plurality of perches arranged so that there is a perch disposed proximately to the outer opening of each of the passageways when the perch structure is connected to the base. The passageways may be equiangularly spaced in the base such that they arrive at a common inner opening in the base, and the perches may be arranged so that they are equiangularly spaced therearound.
The base may include a threaded mount proximate to the inner opening and the mouth of the container may be cooperatively threaded whereby it may be screwedly secured to the threaded mount of the base. The perch structure may include a central perch connector including a plurality of perch supports extending radially outward therefrom. A selected perch may be disposed on a distal portion of a respective perch support, and each perch support may curve upwardly when the perch structure is connected to the base. The base may be circular in cross-section and each perch may extend parallel to a line tangential to the base.
The framework may be structured to contact the first side wall portion at least at four contact points that are not all in a common plane, and the framework may include a first support member and a second support member disposed in respective planes. There may be a plurality of suspension members, and each is preferably flexible and may be formed to include a plurality of interconnected rigid links. The container may have a different geometrical shape in the first plane than it does in the second plane.
Additionally, the present invention is directed to a method of feeding birds that comprises the steps of at least partially filling a container through a mouth thereof with a foodstuff for a bird, nesting the container in a framework, securing a base to the mouth of the container to define a secured state wherein the base is sized to prevent removal of the framework, inverting the container and the framework, and suspending the framework from a support so that the container and base are correspondingly suspended from the support in an inverted orientation.